Last Updated on 06/09/2024 by Arun jain
Donald Trump Ready for his decisive debate in front Kamala Harris For weeks on Tuesday, with attack after attack on his host, ABC News.
He has called it “dishonest,” “fake” and “the worst network ever,” and told Fox News’ Sean Hannity on Wednesday that he expects to send questions to Harris, adding that ABC chief Dana Walden is “her best friend.” Trump also attacked the network’s star anchor George Stephanopoulos. Calling him “George Slopadopoulos”. and insulted his height by saying “I made it this far” while pointing to his chest.
But Stephanopoulos isn’t involved in the debate — and instead, Trump has been largely silent on both moderators: David Muir, Anchor world news tonight, and Lynsey Davis, the Sunday anchor of the same show.
Trump’s silence on Muir offers an interesting insight into the former president. He has a long relationship with the anchor—which is why, unusually, Muir hasn’t come under attack. (By contrast, Tuesday will be Trump’s first meeting with Davis.)
“David Muir looks like central casting for Donald Trump,” longtime Trump adviser Kellyanne Conway told The Daily Beast. A former ABC News employee also said they heard Trump call Muir a “liberal.”
Conway recounted how, on Labor Day 2016, Trump was told that his team had turned down an interview with ABC after the network asked. The interview may have aired Good morning America And world news tonight, she said. But after listening to his rivals, Hillary Clinton and her running mate Tim Kaine, Sit with MuirHe sought a similar joint meeting with Pence.
“If it’s David Muir, I want to do it,” Trump said, Conway said. Trump and Mike Pence was interviewed by Muir at the Canfield County Fairgrounds in Ohio and on Trump’s private plane.
The moment offers insight into Trump’s acknowledgment of ABC News’ reach: Multiple current and former ABC News staffers and Trump advisers told The Daily Beast that Trump likes the 50-year-old anchor because of his dominance in the ratings.
In a statement, an ABC News spokesperson said, “David Muir is one of the most prolific, trusted and highly respected journalists in America — he’s tough, but fair. ABC World News Tonight Has been the most watched newscast for nearly a decade. His work speaks for itself. The Trump campaign did not respond to a request for comment.
Muir’s ratings have blown NBC’s Lester Holt and CBS’ Norah O’Donnell over the years—so much so that ABC noted How about on Monday World News Tonight Has finished ahead of Holts for the eighth consecutive year nightly news Forward in its fifth year in total viewers and the 25-54 demographic, the metric advertisers use to measure news programs. It was also the No. 1 program on television — with and without the game — for 23 weeks this season, according to the network.
“Trump likes people who are number one in the ratings and David is number one,” the ABC News reporter said.
Muir’s on-screen prominence is likely important to the embedded television producer within Trump, who spent years on broadcast screens as its host. the apprentice And his celebrity spinoff
“As the star of NBC’s number one show, Donald Trump knows a thing or two about getting ratings,” Conway told The Daily Beast.
A former Trump adviser agreed, saying the traditionally attractive TV anchor who is a ratings winner was just Trump’s type. “It’s part of the whole package,” the adviser said.
Trump’s warm relationship with Muir extended throughout his presidency. Muir secured the first television interview After his opening with Trump, where he pressed the then-president on his false claims about voter fraud—Trump’s concern. Trump complained about some of the questions, but when he spoke it was much more measured Vitriol CNN’s Jim Acosta at a New York press conference a few weeks ago.
Muir also conducted the first TV interview with Trump outside of the Fox News arena during the Covid pandemic. In May 2020. Although he criticized Trump for not pushing harder, incl From CNN commentator, Oliver DarcyIt was also appreciated by the left wing Vox.com And Pointer organizationwho studies journalism.
Muir’s interviews have been clear of some other anchors, such as Stephanopoulos and ABC News colleague Rachel Scott, feuding with Trump. He never spoke about his political views. New York public records—Muir lives in New York City and has a second home in his hometown of Skaneateles in the state’s Finger Lakes region—do not list him as affiliated with the party.
And Muir has offered no attack material to Trump, avoiding the public perception of bias — unlike Stephanopoulos, who jumped into journalism after becoming president. Clinton’s press secretary. So he had to apologize in 2015 Failure to declare a $75,000 donation ABC boss to Clinton Foundation.
Trump is now suing Stephanopoulos after the March interview The Week GOP Rep. for endorsing Trump. With Nancy Mace. He questioned how he could support someone “responsible for rape”. Trump was found guilty of sexual misconduct and responded by filing a defamation suit over the allegations. (The judge overseeing the civil damages trial clarified that Trump was responsible for the “sexual abuse” in general that was “rape”.)
Muir and Davis were announced In May as the Sept. 10 debate anchor, when ABC debated what was supposed to be another Trump-Joe Biden showdown. The networks fought to secure the debates when both the Biden and Trump campaigns ditched the traditional commission for presidential debates to go it alone. (CNN was another winner; it fell to Harris because of Biden’s disastrous performance in their June debate.)
By May, Trump was suing Stephanopoulos, which would have made it impossible for him to moderate the debate; Whether that was a factor in Trump’s decision to agree to the ABC talk is unknown—but it certainly served to heighten public tensions between Trump and the anchor.
But there is tension over Muir — even between Stephanopoulos and the network.
Stephanopoulos almost dropped out in 2021, CNN reportedMuir has been made the face of Special Reports and its effective “main anchor”. To woo Stephanopoulos, the network gave him a production company, a big pay bump, and put him in charge of morning breaking news events—but left Muir in charge of all other special reports. He then headed ABC News 2022 Election coverage Instead of Stephanopoulos.
Muir seems aware — if in jest — of Trump’s apparent fondness for him. Days before the 2020 election, ABC’s Jimmy Kimmel the jaw Muir about Trump’s affection for him during his May 2020 interview. “I also think your hair looks like her hair looks like hers,” Kimmel said.
“Well, I’m not going to touch it,” Muir said.
Post Trump hates ABC — but not David Muir, its ‘central casting’ debate anchor appeared first The Daily Beast.